Resident: 'I think people are really energized to resist'

By Anthony Hahn

Staff Writer

Posted:
01/16/2017 06:12:52 PM MST

Updated:
01/17/2017 12:17:35 AM MST

For Deborah Mensch, amid the reminders of love and equality that usually accompany Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday brought a mood that has been missing in years past — most notably, an air of urgency in the wake of Donald Trump's election.

At the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at Angevine Middle School in Lafayette on Monday, the longtime Lafayette resident was one of several throughout the celebration who said King's dream and the sentiment behind his teachings is even more relevant today ahead of the upcoming administration.

"The march today means that the civil rights movement is far from over and still has a long ways to go," Mensch said. "I'm really glad to see people come together with this multi-cultural celebration — it felt really joyful to walk with everyone."

Centaurus High School junior Abraheem Abu-Shanab chants into a megaphone during Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day march in Lafayette. (Jeremy Papasso / Staff Photographer)

Mensch and several others said they noticed a different mood during Monday's march that was missing from years past.

"I think there's more apprehension and energy of resistance in years past," Mensch said. "I think people are really energized to resist the new challenges that will come with the new administration."

On Monday, hundreds of community members marched through slick back roads from Angevine's parking lot to City Park with signs echoing the famous words of King.

The march began with a celebration of the civil rights leader that included speeches, poetry, service projects, crafts and foods and performances by Los Cheesies, a Colorado rock fusion band that integrates both Latin and American style rhythms; the Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and Second Baptist choirs; and Logo Ligi, a local African dance ensemble.

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"I think there's a lot of good work that's being done in Lafayette right now," resident Jon Walton said after Monday's march. "The community does pretty well with embracing the sentiments of MLK. It's really interesting because there's so many kids here; it's important to let them see the history of why we're marching.

"Part of me thinks the effort is really great," Walton added, "but another part of me asks, 'To what end?' We live in a bubble here in Boulder County and I just hope this march impacts others around the country as well."

In addition to the march, residents gathered outside Bob L. Burger Recreation Center to take part in the "UNITY" art project: a large, interactive project that "seeks to uncover our commonalities and celebrate our diversity."

"UNITY creates a really beautiful space where we can come together and talk about diversity and identity," Lafayette resident and local artist Katie Brown said Monday. "I think those conversations are really important — especially in the current political climate."

Monday's celebration brought with it a different tone.

"We need to make sure to fight and to resist over the next several years," Rep. Mike Foote, D-Lafayette, said. "It's going to take us awhile to get where we need to go, but we'll need to fight for equality more than ever."

As Americans throughout the country begin to acclimate themselves to the changing landscape of a post-election world, local officials have begun to extend themselves in hopes of bridging the gap and reconciling fears of what President-elect Trump's administration could bring.

"This day feels like its more important than ever," Boulder County Commissioner Elise Jones said. "These are troubling times, but if MLK was here today he would remind us to find our voice. To those who try to take us backwards, we need to stand up to and say, 'Not on our watch; not in our schools, not in our community and not in our country.'

"We must be reminded that the arch of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice," she added.

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